Police Cars of the Future to Highlight LA Auto Show Design Challenge

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One way to make any car a whole lot cooler is to slap a light bar on the roof, a push-bar on the bumper and paint it black and white. Cop cars almost always look cool. But what will they look like in the future?

That is the challenge set before automakers participating in the 9th annual Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge. Design studios from three continents will take part in designing, “the ultimate law enforcement patrol vehicle for the year 2025.” So far, design studios from seven automakers have signed up for the challenge, including Bentley, BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai and Subaru.

“One of the most difficult yet important tasks in design is looking into the future to envision and create the trends and tools that haven’t been imagined,” said Chuck Pelly, director of Design Los Angeles and partner in The Design Academy, Inc. “Adding the element of law enforcement to this year’s competition creates another layer of importance that makes a challenge equal to the level of our participants.”

Entries will be unveiled online in early November and judged by a panel of experts including Tom Matano, executive director, School of Industrial Design at San Francisco’s Academy of Art University; Imre Molnar, provost and chief academic officer at Detroit’s College for Creative Studies; and Stewart Reed, chair of Transportation Design at Pasadena’s Art Center College of Design. Acting as a guest judge will be Bruce Meyer, board member for the California Highway Patrol 11-99 Foundation.